1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system for improving the aerodynamic profile of vehicles by utilizing side vehicle fairing structures, especially for use on a tractor-trailer truck (“Truck”). The system improves fuel consumption without having a material adverse impact on a Truck's operation or service procedures.
2. Description of Related Art
The amount of power needed to move a vehicle over land or through the air increases with the speed of the vehicle due to aerodynamic drag. The amount of power necessary to overcome aerodynamic drag directly translates into increased fuel consumption, and thus increased emission of greenhouse gases and pollutants, and increased cost of operation.
A variety of innovations aimed at reducing the aerodynamic drag of various transport vehicles, including tractor-trailer combinations, have been introduced in the prior art. These include efforts to make the hood, windscreen, fenders, etc. more streamlined in form, as well as by adding fairings to the cab roof, and in some cases, to the trailer box.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,799,791 discloses a vehicle fairing structure that may be deployed on the rear of a trailer box to reduce drag at the rear end of the trailer box. Since a significant amount of drag is also associated with the front of the trailer box, where there is known to be an area of high pressure and relatively stagnant air approximately at the middle of the forward vertical face of the trailer cab, a front fairing structure for reducing this drag is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/684,097, filed Mar. 9, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,604,284. A system that includes side fairings to further reduce drag is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/684,104, also filed Mar. 9, 2007 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,404,592. The foregoing patent and applications (U.S. Pat. No. 6,799,791, and U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/684,097 and 11/684,104) are incorporated herein by reference.
The invention disclosed herein is to further optimize the design of the vehicle side fairing, and to incorporate features that take into account the real-world nature of Truck operation.